[14.05] Lunar Exploration: Manned and Unmanned

P. Spudis (Lunar and Planetary Institute)

The Moon is an important planetary object whose history and
processes are a guide to the interpretation of the other
terrestrial planets. Moreover, the lunar surface is a cosmic
“witness plate” offering a record of a portion of the
history of the Earth-Moon system that has been erased on
Earth’s surface. During the 1990’s, two orbital
reconnaissance missions to the Moon have mapped global
topography and some selected compositional properties. We
are in the process of developing an exploration strategy
that addresses the most pressing remaining questions of
lunar evolution. This strategy includes additional orbital
missions (to “fill in” important gaps in our knowledge of
lunar composition and morphology), landed missions (to
conduct in situ analyses of selected regions), networks (to
obtain global data on crustal thickness and composition),
and sample return missions, both simple “grab samplers” and
detailed and complex field work by both robotic and human
missions. These missions will be constructed into a strategy
that answers the most important questions in the proper
order. We anticipate that our white paper input into the NRC
Inner Planets panel will be completed by the deadline.